Remember what Christmas is all about

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The Daily Reporter - Coldwater, MI

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Posted Dec. 14, 2013 at 3:00 PM

Posted Dec. 14, 2013 at 3:00 PM

Coldwater, Mich.

Last week we considered the need for Christís birth.

Jesusí birth is something to celebrate but we must remember that the real reason for celebrating is the deliverance from sin and death. Another important aspect to consider at this time of the year is the promise of Jesus birth. This promise is stamped everywhere in the Old Testament.

We see this from the moment that sin and death enter the world. In Genesis 3:15 we read of the promise of one who will defeat the Serpent. The promise of the Messiah, though, becomes more pronounced in the writings of the Prophets. The reason for this is because everything else had already failed.

The people of Israel had been set apart, by God, to be a blessing to the world (Genesis 12:1-3; Deuteronomy 7). God had set his love upon them and commanded them to be faithful. Yet, like Adam, they failed. So God raised up for them three offices: prophets, priests, and kings. The prophets would declare Godís word to his people, the priests would mediate between God and the sinful people, and the kings who would rule over the people.

One by one, though, the men who filled these offices failed. The prophets became corrupt. They stopped declaring the word of God and instead told the people what they wanted to hear. True prophets were persecuted. The priests, likewise, stopped their faithful service. Instead of serving the Lord alone they began to offer sacrifices to other so-called gods. Perhaps most surprising is the fall of the kings. Though David had been a man after Godís own heart, his sons followed their own desires to the point that God cut them off. All that was left to Davidís line was a stump

instead of glorious tree.

Yet even in the midst of this unfaithfulness, God promised redemption. He promised that he would rebuild the people who were called according to his purpose. Moreover, he promised that he would do it through the work of a prophet, a priest, and a king. Actually, the promises he made was that he would send a prophet like Moses (Deuteronomy 18), a high priest who would be faithful (1 Samuel 2:35), and a king who would rule on Davidís throne (2 Samuel 7:12-14).

The problem, of course, is that Godís judgment seemed to have cut off all hope. Yet buried in the Prophets is the promise: God will raise up a Branch from the stump of Davidís line (Isaiah 11) and that Branch will grow and bear fruit. Though all hope looked gone and Davidís line looked as good as dead, God is the one who is able to bring life from the dead.

The New Testament is clear: Jesus is that promised Branch. This is the purpose of those two genealogies in Matthew and Luke. They both show that Jesus is descended from David (and Abraham and Adam). He is the true King who rules over his people faithfully and mercifully.

Page 2 of 2 - He is more than that, though. Paul tells us that Christ is the Ďyesí to all of Godís promises (2 Corinthians 1:20). He is not only the promised King but he is also the promised Prophet. Like Moses, he is the one who faithfully hears the words of his Father and gives them to his people. He calls us to himself and gives us the command to share the Gospel with all people. He warns us and instructs us. As the author of Hebrews reminds us, it is in Christ that God has spoken to us in a final way (Hebrews 1:1-2).

Finally, Jesus is the Great High Priest (Hebrews 4:14-16). He is the one who has gone before the Father, in our behalf, and secured for us an eternal redemption. So, as we celebrate Christmas Ė the birth of our Prophet, Priest, and King Ė let us remember the promises of God and how he fulfills them all in Christ.

This Sunday we continue our series on the birth of Christ. Weíll sing some of the Christmas hymns together and then weíll consider the promise of his coming from Jeremiah 23:1-8. Next week weíll consider his birth (Isaiah 9:1-7). If you would like to learn more about why Jesus was born (and why he must come again), I invite you to join us each Sunday as we celebrate the birth of our Savior at 10 a.m. at 44 Monroe St in Hillsdale. There will be coffee and light snacks following the worship services.

Pastor Everett Henes, the pastor of the Hillsdale Orthodox Presbyterian Church, can be reached at pastorhenes@gmail.com.